Game apparatus.



` PATENTED MAR. 10.1903.

C. N. MORGAN.

GAME APPARATUS. v APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 22, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

./VJlm- I. ,ilk punk UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES N. MORGAN, OF SOUTHTIADLEY FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, AS-

SIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES H. FARR, OF NORTH WILBRAHAM,

MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,603, dated March 10, 1903.

Application led March 22, 1902. Serial No. 99,418. (No model.)

To aU wiz/0m t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES N. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of South Hadley Falls, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a game apparatus characterized by the inclusion of runways or troughs,wickets, balls, and mallets and adapted for useon the ground or lawn or to be used when set up upon the oor in a hall or suitably large room.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts and the construction ofcertain of the parts, all substantially as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is aperspective viewof the game apparatus shown as set up and used for playing. Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a part in detail as taken on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a detail of construction as taken on the line 3 3, Fig. l.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A represents a hollow post or pillar of square or any other suitable crosssectional form, the same having its lower end supported above the ground by the legs d d, which constitute wickets. A strap or casting B is secured near the upper end of the post, the same having the plurality of sockets b in which engage tongues or lugs d, which are secured at the inner ends of the several troughs or runways C C, which from their places of detachable connection with the upper part of the post extend downwardly, inclined in different radial directions, as shown, and have supporting-wickets at their outer ends, as indicated at D D. The troughs have at their outer ends each a stop to constitute an initial rest for one of the balls E, employed as a part of the game apparatus, and between the outer end of the trough and its inner u p- 5o per end, whereat it is connected with the upwardly-opening hollow post A, the trough is provided with one or more shoulders or abutments f, rising asuitable distance above the base of the trough.

The wickets D D are constructed of single lengths of suitably heavy wire or rod material bent into inverted-U form, with a subbend g, corresponding to three sides of a rectangle, whereby the hinge engagement with the metallic strap or clip h, provided at the outer end of the trough, is insured. This strap, as shown in Fig. 3, has its intermediate part bent around the end of the base portion of the trough, such intermediate portion having the upwardly-extended loop to constitute the foreinentioned stop e, and the upper end portion 10 of the strip lies along the top surface ofthe base, while the other end portion l2 of the strip lies along and under the surface of the trough-base, these strip extremities being united by the bolt and nut indicated at 13. The subsidiary bend gis held in the notch or recess 14 in the under side of the trough-base, being conned therein by the said strap.

The wickets D Yhave sheet-metal or other number-bearing appliances j, the same, preferably and as shown, being constructed with opposite end eyes t72 for sliding engagement up and down on the parallel legs of the wickets. Numbers are provided in the walls of the troughs adjacent the intermediate stops f, as indicated at m.

The central .hollow post is surmounted by a steeple or tower G, the same being hinged at fn, and it has the sides thereof at its lower end constructed with the recesses 0, so as not to obstruct the passage of the ball from the upwardly and inwardly inclined trough, thence into and down through the hollow post.

H represents the mallets, one being provided to correspond with each of the troughs.

The post, troughs, mallets, and balls may be respectively and correspondingly of diiferent colors-that is, the north side of the post, its radiating trough, one ball and one mallet may be red, another side of the post and its trough with the ball and mallet therefor may be yellow, and the others green and blue.

Various rules and methods of playing the game may be established, and the game may roo be played somewhat in this manner: One person commencing at the north trough places the ball against the stop e, as shown in the drawings, and endeavors to so strike the ball with the mallet that it will be projected up the runway sufficiently far to pass the first stop fand to settle back and rest thereon. Succeeding in this the player has another turn vand drives the ball up onto the second stop,keepin g accou nt of the numbers which he scores corresponding to the stop. Failing in a given attempt he looses his turn and another player starting at one of the other troughs proceeds to play. The ball after scoring on the one or more runway-stops is then to be driven up to the inner end of the runway and into the hollow post, falling to the ground, and then driven out to the next outer wicket and through the latter scoring, for instance, only twenty-live if going through an outer wicket from the inside and scoring fty if going through the wicket from the outside, and the player after making the circuit of all the wickets may consider the play completed, his standing or winning being reckoned by the points made as per the numbers scored, or the win,- ner may be regarded as the first one to make all the stops and make the circuit of the wickets, or, again, each player may under the rules be compelled to drive the ball up each and every runway, making the stops thereon in addition to making the wickets.

The character of the apparatus and the mode of playing the game are such that any convenient number may engage in the playing and one or more additional players may come in even after the original starters have progressed considerably toward the end of their game.

The game apparatus, which, as shown in Fig. l, set up covers considerable space,when not in use may be stowed away in comparatively small space,for the troughs may be disconnected from the strap-sockets b, whereat they are connected to the top of the hollow post, and the wickets D may be folded closely under the trough, and the space within the hollow post may be utilized for the reception of a comparatively long deep basket in which the balls may be kept, the hinging of the Steeple-top G permitting the insertion of the basket down into the post, it being understood that a hook at the top of the basket will hold it in the post.

The provision of the steeple is regarded as desirable not only because it adds to the sightliness of the apparatus, but the forming of the recesses at its bottom of proper size in a measure affects the facility or the difiiculty with which the progress of the game may be made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central hollow post having its upper and lower ends open and having separated supporting-legs whereby its lower open end is supported above the ground, of a plurality of upwardly and inwardly inclined runway-troughs arranged in different radial lines and having inner end connections with the upper open-end portion of said post and each having at its outer end a ball-rest, and wickets respectively provided at the outer ends of the troughs, on the upper portions of which wickets said troughs rest and by which their outer extremities are also supported above the ground.

2. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central hollow post havingits upper and lower ends open, having its lower end supported above the ground, and having detachably connected to its upper open-end portion a plurality of upwardly and inwardly inclining troughs arranged in different radial directions, said troughs being open to the upper open end of said post, each of said troughs having a ballrest, and each having at its outer lower end a supporting-Wicket which is hinged and foldable relatively thereto.

3. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central hollow post having its lower end supported above the ground, and having connected to its upper open-end portion a plurality of upwardly and inwardly inclined runway-troughs arranged in different radial directions, each of said troughs having provided at the outer end portion of its base a length of strip material which is intermediately doubled and formed with the stop constituting bend e, its end portions extending above and below the surface ofthe trough-base,the wicket having its transverse portion engaged and connected to the trough by said strip material, and the confining bolt and nut, substantially as described.

4. In a game apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hollow post open from end to end and supported by the separated legs c,A and having at its upper end portion, the encircling strap B formed with the sockets b, the troughs C C having lugs d forming detachable connections with the post by engagement in said sockets, and having at their outer ends ball-rests e and intermediate between said rests and the open top end of the post, one or more ball stops or rests, and each trough having hinge-connected at its outer end a wicket whereby the trough is supported in an upwardly inwardly inclining direction, and-said intermediate ball-rests and the wickets having numbers or scoring characters, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Signed by me at Springlield, Massachusetts, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CHARLES N. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLows, M. A. CAMrBELL.

ICO

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